Improvement in table-cutlery



dhiiftrll states strat dihiiirr.

Letters Patent No. 108,463, dated'October 18, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT- IN TABLE-CUTLERY.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Enwann G. Dunax'r, of' Northampton, county of ,Hampshire and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain lImprovements in Cutlery; and I do hereby declare that the following is a clear and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawing and to the letters' of reference marked thereon forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cutlery; and

The invention consists, fusi', iu the method of' constructing and attaching the handle to the knives, or knives 'and forks. l

It further consists iu combining with such handles a bolster, or a bolster' and tip, all as hereinafter explained.

In the accompanying drawing I have represented my improvements applied to table-knives- Figurs 1 and 2 representing .the handle applied without bolster or tip;

Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6, views of knives with holsters Figures 7 and 8 representing a knife with bolster' and tip bot-h applied; and

Figures 9 and 10 showing modified forms of the bolster, the improved construction of handle being represented in all the figures.

In the manufacture of table-cntlery, it has usually been customary to make and attach the handle in one of the two following methods: either to make the handle of a single piece, and insert the tang into ahole bored in the end of the handle, the tang 'being made small and round for that purpose, or to make thc tang dat, and then secure thereto a. handle, consisting of two flat pieces, technically called scales, these pieces or scales being usually fastened ,on the opposite sides ofY theiat tang by rivets passing through all three parts.

. To these plans there are serious objections. In the first, the tang, being short, is liable to become loose, and the handle to work oi, and hence it is almost impossible to sell `that style of cutlery, especially of the cheaper or more common sorts. 'lIo the second plan, there are several objections: first, there are so many morccracks or openings, which enlarge with use, and become llcd with dirt; lsecond,-the handle, being madeV of two pieces, necessitates double the number of perations and handlings, both in fitting it for and in securing' it to the tang; third, being secured by'rivcts, .which are liable to he bent in the act' of riveting, thus throwing one or both of the scales, more or less, to one vorthe other side, therebycansilig them to project beyond the edge of the tang on one or both sides, it becomes necessary to-make the handie, or the scales composing it, somewhat wider than the tang, and then to finish the handle by grinding it down to the required size and form on a succession of emery-whcels; and, as this has to be done by hand, it is tedious and expensive, and, besides, requires great skill, iu order to prevent. them from being misshaped by grinding ott either too much or too little on its various parts. Another objection to this style of handles is, that, being thus finished by hand-grinding, it is impossible to make them with exact uniformity of size, and, eonse'tpleutly, it is dificnlt to cast on them the soft-metal belstersor tips, which are now generally preferred, because some are too large, or others too small, or not exactly of the rightsze and form to fit the mold iu which they must be fitted to have these parts cast on; and, in case they do not exactly fit, then there is additional care and labor required to finish these defective parts, which generally cousistsof a surplus of' metal runningthrough the cracks or openings in the mold, and which must afterward be removed, and the parts smoothed and finished up where it is cnt olf, besides creating a waste of the soft metal, which is expensive.

It is to obviate these difculties that my invention is designed, andthe manner in which I accomplish this result is as follows:

In the first place, I constructthe fork or knife-blade, the case may be, with a .fiat tang, A, about two ithirds or three-fourths as wideas the intended handle, and ot' a'length fully equal to that of' the' handle, as represented in figs. 1, 2, and 3. I then take a piece of wood, bone, ivory, or other suitable material for the handle, and, by means of a suitable machine, I turn or cut it to the exact form and size reqnired, as rel'nesented by B in the various iigures. I then, by

means of a circular sam-,or other suitable tool, out p longitudinally along the center of one edge of the handle B a slit or groove, E, of the proper dept-h and width to receive the tang A, which fits snugly therein. I thendrill transversely through this handle B two or three holes,e, which I counter-bore at the saure operation, the drill heilig suitably made for that purpose, .corresponding holeshaving been previously punched in the tang A. Vith the tang and handle thus formed, the latter is slipped onto the former, and the holes c filled with the fusible metal, the same as is used for the bolster or tip.

In cases where no bolster orvtip is'applied, as 'in fig. 1, I prefer to have three rivets; but, when a bolster is applied,.twol are suicient; and, when both bolster and tip are applied, thc rivets may be entirely dispensed with, if desired.

W'hen it is desired to constructmy improved handle with a bolster, the tang A has a notch, a, eut -in its lower edge at the Apoint where the bolster (l is to be castnpou it, as represented in fig. 3f; and on its upper edge it is formed with aA corresponding projec- I tion, the latter being formed with a' square shoulder, o, at its rear end. 'lhe handle B, in such case, has its front end turned or cnt off on each side, leaving tenons b projecting, asrepresented in' fig. 4, this Abe ving done iu a machine constructed for that purpose -with perfect uniformity. Vhen 'the parts are thus constructed, the handle B is slipped onto the t'ang A until its shoulder at the front upper corner of the slit or groove E strikes against the shoulder o of the tang, when the parts are inserted in a suitable mold,vand the bolster C formed by casting the fusible metal therein, the bolster surrounding the front end of the handle B and the tang A, as shown in section in fig. 5, and in perspective in iig. 6, thus iirmly uniting the parts, and, at the saine time, forming au ornamental bolster, correspondingin size and form exactly to the handle, and which, consequently,requires no other finishing than simply polishing.

When thebolster is used, the tang need not extend entirely through the whole length of the handle, as in such case the handle can be made suiiiciently secure without.

It is obvious that these holsters may be made of any desired form and style. lIn figs-9 andl0, I have represented a modification of the same. Iniig. 9 a

, narrow'part only extends across the edges of the "thereon, as in the other cases.

vIn order toapply a tip of the same kind of metal to thc handle, the latter has a tenou formed on its rear end, in a manner similar to that o'n the front whena bolster is used, there being a notch or corner cutout of the tang at its lower rear corner, to permit the metal to flow around it, as represented in g. Y 3, which represents the parts in section.`

To prevent this tip D from becoming loose or work.- ing ofi', a hole, e, is made through ,the tang at vthat point, to permit the metal to flow through it, and thus secure the tip rmly in place, there being. a corre.- sponding hole or recess formed in the handle also.

When the bolster and tip are both used, no rivets are necessary, as the bolster and the tip secure the handle firmly to the tang, in such a manner that it cannot be detached vwithout breaking the tip or bolster, or both. l It is obvious that,'if desired, the tip D may be ap- -plied without the bolster; but this will not generally be preferred. Y

By this method of constructing and applying 'the handle, I amenabled to produce a very perfect article, and to do `so attdmuch less expense than heretofore.

By this means, also, I am enabled to finish the handle to an exact size audform by machinery before applying it to the tang, thus saving much subsequent labor, aud also to cast the bolster and tip'ofthe -eX- act size and form required, thus saving mu'ch time, labor, and material; and thus my invention consti` tutesan important improvement in the art o f manufacturing cutlery, as well as in the article itself.

I am aware that it has been proposed to make a handle having a slit or groove cut in. oneside for about one-half 4its length but such a handle is neither durable, no1' satisfactory, and such I do not claim but Having thus described my invention, What I claim is-" l. As an 'improvement in cutlery, the handle B, having a longitudinal slitor groove formedin it, ,with

thetang. A therein the entire length of the handle, i

substantially as described. y, 2.-, In combination with a handle constructed and applied substantially as herein described, the bolster, C, cast thereon, as herein set forth.

-3. In combination with a handle constructed and applied substantially as hereindescribed, the tip, D,

`oast-thereon, substantially as set forth'.

EDlV. G. DURANT.

Witnesses:

0. F. SHAW, h

JOHN C. SHAW. 

